Norwegian chess prodigy, 22, becomes game’s highest-rated player of all time

Mozart of the board: Magnus Carlsen can play ten games at once (Picture: Fred Jonny Hammeroe)

It’s no wonder he is known as ‘the Mozart of chess’, as Magnus Carlsen can play up to ten games at once with his back to the board.

Now the 22-year-old grandmaster has made history by overtaking Gary Kasparov’s record rating of 2,851 points – a feat the Russian claimed was impossible after he set the target 12 years ago.

Norwegian Carlsen, who is able to think 20 moves ahead, set the new record of 2,857.4 when he beat England’s Luke McShane at the London Chess Classic, which ends on Monday. He said it was ‘a great start’ to the tournament and he was satisfied with his record.

Ratings are a measure of performance which may predict how likely it is any player will beat a rival. Points are then allocated accordingly.

Carlsen’s manager Espen Agdestein said the star was unlikely to celebrate with bubbly – because he was a ‘bit boring in that regard’.

But Norwegian chess expert Dag Danielsen hailed his achievement as a milestone. He added: ‘Magnus Carlsen has a fundamental understanding of chess that perhaps no one else has had before him. It’s a God’s gift.’

He supplements his £933,000 chess income by appearing in ads for fashion label G-Star.